It’s just after that time of year when every brand seems to drop a new foundation formula. I have so many new ones to test that I wasn’t quite sure where to start, but I decided to go with the new Cover FX’s newest addition – the Power Play Foundation. I’ve been testing it out for a while now and tried the product in a variety of ways. I think I’ve finally settled on my favorite way to apply it, as well as my final thoughts. So without further ado, let’s jump into the review of the new Cover FX Power Play Foundation!
Let’s start with the basics according to Cover FX. This foundation is targeted for combination to oily skin types (more about my thoughts on this later). It has buildable medium to full coverage with a “modern-matte” finish that controls shine, visibly blurs imperfections, and has a weightless feel that is not dulling or drying on the skin. It claims to be sweat proof, waterproof, transfer-proof, and long-wearing with environmental protection (no SPF, but it protects against free radicals and heavy metals). For application, the world is your oyster as Cover FX feels it works well with a sponge for fuller coverage (unusual since sponges typically sheer things out a bit), brushes for a more natural finish, or even your fingers. As with all Cover FX Foundations, it is cruelty free and vegan. It is also free of talc, oil, fragrance, parabens and gluten. And, as expected with Cover FX, it is available in their full range of 40 shades with warm, cool and neutral undertone variations – there will be a shade that should match pretty much anyone!!! Sounds like quite the miracle worker, but as with anything, claims do not always match the experience. Time to find out how it performs!
So, for the claims…. Definitely agree that it is buildable. In fact, I would go so far as to say it’s buildable from light to full coverage depending on how much product you use and how you apply it. As for its ability to blur imperfections, I also agree! My pores look much less noticeable with this foundation than with most so I’m definitely on board for that! 😄 I also feel that this helps with shine without being at all drying, though I don’t tend to get very shiny these days. I do find more oils show through by the end of the day, but nothing excessive or abnormal. I appreciate that it’s not drying and feel that makes it an ideal foundation for anyone with combo skin as it seems to balance everything out beautifully! As for sweat proof and waterproof, not sure because I haven’t truly tested either out in the current chilly weather we’ve been having. I did take a shower while wearing it one day and it looked just fine afterwards, but I avoided getting my face wet so I’m not sure that it was a terribly great test. However, I do feel that it wears well. I’m not sure it’s 100% transfer proof, but it stays put nicely and transfers little, if at all. It’s a foundation that I don’t need to set with powder, but I feel it wears better if I do. Fortunately I am able to set the foundation without it looking heavy, cakey, or accentuating pores and texture so I don’t mind doing so. It is lightweight on the skin and I find that it looks pretty similar at the end of the day as it did when first applied – if anything, texture looks just a bit more noticeable with a touch more shine.
The shade range is spectacular, as always with Cover FX. Also, it does seem to match throughout their range too. If you know your shade in another foundation product, that’s going to be your best match with the Power Play as well. Love the wide range of undertones and that each shade range (light, medium, deep) has the full selection of warm, cool and neutral undertones available too. Few companies do this and Cover FX’s shades truly do run as named. No brand I’ve tried does shades better than Cover FX! As for the finish, I would probably call it “modern matte,” though I’m not 100% certain what companies mean by that. 😄 I take it to mean a natural looking matte that still has some dimension, just not a “glow.” It looks like skin to me, so it’s pretty natural without excess sheen…and it’s not quite satin, but definitely not a dead, flat matte. It’s a lovely finish that would be perfect for combo to oily skin, but looks great on normal-to-dry skin too. Brilliantly done! All in all, I’m impressed by how well Cover FX has described the Power Play Foundation. Their claims are pretty much right on the nose. If it sounds good to you, you’ll likely find that you’re getting what they claim! So wonderfully refreshing to see that!!!
Just quickly on the packaging, it comes in a lightweight plastic squeeze tube that still looks elegant in your makeup bag without the danger of breaking. I do like a pump, but I also love the ability to customize and vary how much product I squeeze out with this. You receive a bit more product than with most foundations – 35mL / 1.18oz compared to the standard 30mL / 1oz. I feel like that may be because you can’t truly get every last drop out, but I’m not sure you typically do with a pump dispenser either. It feels like it could be challenging to squeeze the bottle toward the last drops as it is a sturdy plastic that doesn’t have a ton of give to it. Still, no real complaints about the packaging.
Let’s get to my personal experience with the foundation. It probably helps to start with my current skin type – it is leaning on the normal to dry side these days, so this foundation is not targeted for my skin type. Nonetheless, I do feel that it works…but it required some testing to figure out what application techniques yield the best results. I have tried this foundation with and without primer, with a brush, with a sponge, as well as just with my fingers. Not surprisingly, all produced a slightly different effect. What I settled on liking the most is using a hydrating primer (the Smashbox Oil Primer) with a brush (typically the Real Techniques Complexion Blender Brush, though any kabuki-style foundation brush should work just fine), and then building extra coverage where needed by gently patting on with my fingers, finished with a gentle sweep of the brush to ensure it’s blended. Depending on your skin type, I think the best way to apply will vary. We’ll get into this a bit more in a bit….
The first day I tried the Power Play Foundation, I knew I needed to try a different application method. I did not use a primer and applied only with my fingers. Applying with fingers worked just fine, but the foundation picked up on dry, flaky areas that I didn’t even know I had! Fortunately, a hydrating primer seemed to sort this out with no trouble, so if you are on the drier side, I definitely recommend exfoliating well and using a hydrating primer first. I suspect combo to oily skin could get away without priming, though I do feel that a primer prolongs the wear time a bit.
As for tools, your fingers absolutely will work, though not my preferred method for most foundations just because it’s messy. I found that with a sponge (a dampened Beauty Blender to be precise), I used a lot more product and still didn’t get the coverage I wanted over trouble areas, though the coverage seemed good in general. Kind of an odd phenomenon there. It also seemed to me that the sponge moved the foundation around a bit, so it was harder to blend. It worked, but also not my favorite method…for this foundation at least. The brush was my clear winner, though I don’t love using brushes these days. It provided the best coverage with the least effort and less product. Depending on your skin type and the desired effect, as well as how much you’re trying to cover, what works best for you is likely to vary. I don’t think there is one best way to use the Power Play Foundation, so be prepared for some trial and error in the beginning…but I would definitely give it a chance!
As I’ve mentioned, it’s a buildable and natural looking foundation. It is also lightweight. I do not feel it on my skin, though the more product that I apply, the more I notice a difference initially. Generally speaking though, it feels completely weightless, is not tacky or sticky, and is just a comfortable foundation on the skin. I wouldn’t say that it is either hydrating or drying. It just keeps your skin looking and feeling as is when applied pretty much all day long, which is great in my book! It seems to stay put – I haven’t noticed patches missing at the end of the day or seen it rubbing off on my fingers, clothing, or phone. My pores look better than with most foundations, but they aren’t gone – to be fair, I would never expect them to be, though there’s always hope! 😉 Perhaps most surprising to me is that it really doesn’t settle much, if at all into any lines on my face. Pretty much every foundation I’ve tried will eventually migrate a bit into my right smile line – the deepest crease on my face. Not the Power Play! Powder definitely helps prevent settling, but even without it there’s minimal creasing. This foundation is absolutely fantastic in my book, though it took me a little testing to figure out how to make it work for my skin. If you’re willing to put in that tiny bit of initial extra effort, I think you’ll be very pleased with the Cover FX Power Play Foundation! It is probably the closest thing I’ve found to a great does-it-all kind of foundation and I’m loving it!
